Healthy Cherry Ripe

Refined Sugar-free | Gluten-free | Dairy-free | Vegan

Makes: 10-12 cherry ripe bullets
Cuisine: Australian
Course: Treat | Dessert
Difficulty: Medium
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes (total)
Cooling time: 60 minutes 
Freezing time: 30 minutes

If you've never been Downunder, aka Australia, then you've probably never heard of cherry ripe. Well, it's a delicious chocolate bar that dates back to the early 1900s. 

Each bar features a beautiful combination of coconut, cherry and dark chocolate- yum! It's safe to say that if you're not a fan of cherry or coconut, then this isn't the snack for you. 

My love for cherry ripe persuaded me to create a bite-sized version that's sugar-free, gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan-friendly!

Hints, Tips & Tricks

I use unsweetened, pure cherry juice to get the wonderful cherry flavour. As this is an all-natural product, your cherry ripe's won't be psychedelic red like the store-bought ones, but the taste will be far superior! 

Make sure to use good quality, sugar-free dark chocolate. Real dark chocolate is made from cocoa powder and cocoa butter (the fatty portion of the cacao bean), making it naturally dairy-free. Some brands add dairy to their dark chocolates, so be sure to read the ingredients list if you decide to buy some. Alternatively, you can use my Sugar-free Vegan Dark Chocolate. 

I use my Sweet As Fibre Syrup as a refined sugar substitute in this recipe due to its natural sweetness. My fibre syrup is a low-calorie prebiotic fibre that's made from 100% pure chicory. Feel free to use your own fibre syrup, but make sure to read the labels. Many companies lace their syrups with ingredients such as malt extract and stevia to make them sweeter. If your fibre syrup isn't golden, it probably isn't 100% pure. If you would like to purchase my Sweet As Fibre Syrup, click here.

RECIPE

Ingredients

• 100 ml (3.5 oz) unsweetened cherry juice
• 60 g (2 oz) Sweet As Fibre Syrup
• 50 g (1.7 oz) coconut flakes 
• 100 g (3.5 oz) desiccated coconut
• 15 ml (½ oz) extra virgin coconut oil
• 60 g (2 oz) good quality sugar-free dark chocolate

Method

1. Pour the cherry juice into a pot along with 20 g (0.7 oz) of fibre syrup and bring to a boil. Reduce down to a fast simmer and allow to bubble away until the mixture thickens and is sticky. Keep an eye on this as you don't want to let it get too dark and burn. Allow the mixture to cool. 
2. Dry fry the coconut flakes in a pan set at medium temperature until the flakes are golden. Stir a couple of times as the flakes heat to ensure they cook evenly. 
3. Place the flakes, desiccated coconut, coconut oil and remaining fibre syrup into a small food processor and blend for a few seconds. Add the sticky cherry juice and mix until well combined. 
4. Using clean hands, fashion the coconut mixture into 20 g (0.7 oz) bullets and set them in a container and into the fridge to harden for 60 minutes. 
5. Melt the chocolate in a metal bowl set over a pot of simmering water. 
6. Set up a wire rack, complete with baking paper underneath it to catch the chocolate drips. Using a tablespoon, lower one of the coconut pellets into the chocolate and allow the pellet to drain on the wire rack.
7. Repeat until all the pellets are covered in chocolate. Allow the cherry ripes to set for a minute or two on the bench, and then for added chocolate coverage, drizzle even more chocolate over the top. 
8. Place the wire rack in the freezer for 30 minutes to allow the ripes to set completely.
9. Carefully remove the ripes from the wire rack by using the point of a sharp knife underneath to leverage them off and store them in a covered container in the fridge for up to 1 month.